Emily Mullen – Publicist

LALA PETTIBONE'S ACT TWO and LALA PETTIBONE: STANDING ROOM ONLY

National publicity campaign, including blog tour and countrywide events tour, for the debut and sequel titles in new women's fiction series by LA-based novelist Heidi Mastrogiovanni

Lala Pettibone, a forty-something widow whose outrageous antics befit women half her age, has been imagining her sexy boss, Gerard, is as smitten with her as she is with him. Enter Gerard’s fabulous girlfriend from Paris.

After spending the rest of the day drinking wine straight from the bottle, Lala attends the monthly meeting of her Greenwich Village co-op, where the residents are informed that a toxic wasteland has appeared in the building’s basement and everyone needs to pony up forty grand by the end of the week.

Ever the one to make limoncello out of lemons, Lala reluctantly decides to sublet her apartment and visit her Auntie Geraldine in Los Angeles. Good things come her way in sunny LA, including Dr. David, a handsome veterinarian, and inspiration to transform her previously rejected, uproarious, screenplay into a novel.

LALA PETTIBONE'S ACT TWO is a wonderfully hilarious, second coming-of-age novel. Bridget Jones has absolutely nothing on Lala in the Late-Bloomer-With-Maybe-Lots-of-Potential Department.

* * * *

What do you do when one of your most cherished dreams comes true? If you’re Lala Pettibone, you panic…

In LALA PETTIBONE'S ACT TWO (finalist for Foreword Reviews’ 2017 Indies Book of the Year Awards), Lala left her beloved Manhattan Island for a new beginning in Manhattan Beach, where she found adventure with her rescued senior dogs, with a growing circle of friends, and with Dr. David McLellan, a charming veterinarian who set sail for a previously planned months-long trip around the world right after meeting Lala.

LALA PETTIBONE: STANDING ROOM ONLY is the wonderfully hilarious sequel to the quintessential “second-coming-of-age” novel. We find David back in California and living with Lala in one of the adorable apartments in her Aunt Geraldine’s fabulous fourplex. It’s the first time Lala has had a long-term relationship since her beloved husband Terrence passed away.

When David proposes, Lala is as terrified as she is delighted. What if she loses David to an untimely death the way she lost Terrence? Lala agrees to be “engaged to be engaged” and promptly rushes off to

Paris, where her comedic novel is being filmed with an acclaimed British movie star and notorious bad boy in the lead.

Will Lala take the risk of loss that every relationship carries and marry her wonderful David, or will she grab a pain au chocolat from her favorite patisserie and hide in the Louvre forever?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

HEIDI MASTROGIOVANNI is a graduate of Wesleyan University and was chosen as one of ScreenwritingU’s 15 Most Recommended Screenwriters of 2013. The comedy web series she writes and produces, Verdene and Gleneda, was awarded the Hotspot on the Writers Guild of America’s Hotlist. Heidi is fluent in German and French, though she doesn’t understand why both these languages feel they need more than one definite article.

A dedicated animal welfare advocate, Heidi lives in Los Angeles with her musician husband and their rescued senior dogs. She loves to read, hike, travel, and do a classic spit-take whenever something is really funny. For more information, visit Heidi online at

State of the Nation (historical fiction/race relation/social issues)

Traditional publicity campaign with targeted East Coast event tour

"A mesmerizing tale of racial inequality and sexual discovery." --Kirkus Reviews

An African-American work of fiction, this does not have the traditional tropes that define contemporary novels. Focusing on topics that are terrifyingly true for people of color, STATE OF THE NATION brings to life the horror that is sadly an everyday presence. For African Americans to function in a modern, post-racist society, they must submerge their fear of the known and continue to function with the knowledge that their lives have been in continuous jeopardy for over four hundred years.

STATE OF THE NATION follows the day to day experiences of three boys of color as they navigate through a society that does not see them, at best, or at worst, sees them as degenerate bodies deserving extermination.

The Atlanta Child Murders of the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, serves as the undefined monster that acts as micro, macro and psychic aggressor, functioning in a way that inhibits and prescribes behavior. The murders loom in the background of the story, serving as an albatross that hovers over the lives of three friends coming of age during a moment in American history that in many ways mirrors the present, as police violence perpetuated against Black youth continues to generate press.

STATE OF THE NATION highlights the fact that missing black bodies were not an anomaly, it was the media attention of those particular bodies that was the anomaly, as black bodies were being defaced, defiled, and extinguished all over the country during that time. The Atlanta Murders were a continuation of neo lynching, a replication of an age-old American tradition reminding black youth that they are expendable.

STATE OF THE NATION links elements of the Tuskegee Experiment of the 1940’s to the ever-present vulnerability of the black body, making use of the era in which the story is told, the cusp of the 1980’s, to hint at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which began on the tail end of the Atlanta Child Murders.

STATE OF THE NATION shows the influence of pop culture prior to the advent of social media. Pop culture serves not as a world that shuts these characters out because they are different, but sort of glamorizes difference, so in a way, it is something that is attainable to them because it gives them an example of what they can try to emulate in order to obscure the things that make them different. The imagery of classic movies and fashion magazines act as tertiary parents, soothing when they are upset, telling them stories when they are bored, entertaining them when they are lonely, teaching them how to speak properly, demonstrating how to give the witty one-liner.

Ghost Bully (fiction/comedy/horror)

Full print campaign and blog tour including local Austin author events

"An absurdly humorous novel of the paranormal whose enthusiasm and profundity make it truly exceptional."
—Kirkus Reviews

Roommates can be hell.
Like when they’re late with the rent, late on bills, or constantly trying to kill you.

Jonah Preston thought he knew what he was getting into after signing the paperwork to buy his new home: yardwork, a leaky pipe here and there, maybe the occasional squirrel in the attic.

He just didn’t expect to share that new home with a ghost.

Before all the boxes are unpacked, Jonah learns the previous owner, Willard Hensch, committed suicide in one of the bedrooms. It’s bad news, but Jonah and his (corporeal) roommate, Max, take it in stride. Jonah’s just happy to own a home and begin this new chapter in his adult life.

Unfortunately, it’s an incredibly short chapter.

Unhappy with his new roommates, the resident ghost quickly makes his presence known. Like, really known. When Jonah wakes up dead, he knows exactly who’s behind it.

Willard. Effing. Hensch.

For the newly deceased Jonah, that’s where his new chapter truly begins. He will befriend angels, fight demons, and take on a ghostly army in this comic-paranormal thrill ride through the freakish underworld of Austin, Texas.

The Immundus

YA digital media campaign and local events tour

Beware the cure. Betray the cause.
Would you sacrifice your humanity to save mankind?

IT’S THE YEAR 2828, and Domus is the last remaining country. Divided into twelve walled cities known as genuses, Domus spans what’s known as the purist lands—lands unaffected by the genetic modifications that killed all other species of mammals. But outside the walls of each genus the Immundus threaten the welfare of those within. From a young age, all citizens of Domus are trained for combat against these intruders.

The Shepherd'd Calculus

Full publicity campaign and event tour with widely successful launch in Washington, D.C.

As the election draws closer and the stakes get higher, each choice becomes a calculation...What do you choose? Your faith, or your church? Your principles, or your candidate? The person you most respect, or the truth that could destroy their legacy? When the line between right and wrong is blurred, how do you act, and whom do you save?

Brandon Sanderson, #1 New York Times bestselling author (http://tinyurl.com/lvzq5n3)

Coordinated and executed major national media campaign for #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's WORDS OF RADIANCE, the 2014 release in his Stormlight Archive series. As a result, this title spent several weeks on the NYT bestsellers' list, and was featured in the NYT books section. The full story can be read by clicking on the above link.

Sherri Smith, thriller author of FOLLOW ME DOWN (https://twitter.com/SL_Smith_)

Created and executed an extensive blog tour for bestselling fiction author, Sherri Smith, for the release of her U.S.-debut, FOLLOW ME DOWN. Major online placements, including a Reddit AMA, are featured on her Twitter feed at the link above.

Cherie Priest (http://www.cheriepriest.com/press-reviews)

Garnered superb print and online reviews for the horror/fantasy title, THE FAMILY PLOT:

[Starred (and Boxed!) Review] When Dahlia Dutton’s father sends her and a small crew to salvage a house near Lookout Mountain, Tenn., she finds that what you don’t know can hurt you in Priest’s spectacular modern haunted-house story. Dahlia is no stranger to ghosts, whether she’s being emotionally haunted by a failed marriage or by the metaphorical spirits that linger in old buildings. The concept of home salvage disturbing ghosts is brilliant, and while common elements of haunted house stories are certainly present (a mysterious owner with family secrets, locked rooms, unnatural storms, etc.), Priest (Boneshaker) handles them with tremendous skill, putting the pieces together to keep the reader guessing and more than a little scared. The characters are given a compelling reason to stay (the family business will fail if this job falls through) and their interpersonal dynamics humanize them, making them more than just cannon fodder as the hauntings increase in severity. Priest has written an excellent modern house story from start to finish. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary. (Sept.) ~Publishers Weekly

[Starred Review] In Priest’s gothic haunted-house story, workers at failing architectural salvage company are given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reverse their fortunes, if they can survive the ghosts plaguing the property. DahliaDutton, the daughter of Music City Salvage’s owner, loves old houses. She’s still sore over losing her own beautifully restored home in her divorce. Once Dahlia arrives at the grand, well-preserved Withrow estate in the Tennessee mountains, she wishes she could save it; instead, she and her crew—her estranged cousin Bobby; his lovable son, Gabe; and salvage rookie Brad—have mere days to rescue the valuables before demolition. To save money, they sleep on-site, when the mansion’s romantic charm turns menacing. Strange occurrences and spectral sightings increase as the crew dismantles the house, exposing the Withrow family’s secrets. Priest spices up a standard haunting with an irresistible premise focused on the “hidden treasure” aspect of salvage work. Careful character building accentuates the novel’s slow build, so by the time the salvagers are in real danger, they feel like real people, too. Despite lulls in pacing, the final scenes are terrifying. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary ghost stories. ~Booklist

[4 Stars] Priest continues to cement her reputation as a master of modern gothic with a haunted house tale that’s a slow burn with an utterly addictive finale….In The Family Plot, Dahlia Dutton and her salvage crew are given a last ditch job to wreck and salvage an especially tantalizing property. Ignorant of the house and Withrow family’s history, the crew soon find themselves haunted by a multitude of spirits. At first, the spirits are content to scare and pester, but as Dahlia uncovers more of the secrets the house has held for nearly a century, something dark and violent emerges — something that has squared all its rage on Dahlia Dutton alone. ~Romantic Times

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest should carry a warning label: Do not read this book in bed at night. To avoid stress and shivers up the spine only read it outside in bright sunlight while wearing a large crucifix and with a bottle of holy water close at hand. An exorcist might not be a bad idea either. … [It’s] more than just spooky; it is The Haunting of Hill House and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho entwined in a dark tale of murder, spiritualism, and a ghost who doesn’t want to leave the Withrow Mansion. … Priest’s use of such a prosaic, unromantic blue-collar background as a salvage company is pure genius. The contrast between a salvage crew in jeans and work boots and a malevolent ghost in a yellow dress makes the plot more believable. ~New York Journal of Books

A ghost story lives or dies on its creep factor, and Priest absolutely nails it, spinning a Southern Gothic tale of family secrets and avenging spirits with just enough humor sprinkled throughout to break the tension before racheting the suspense back up to heart-pounding levels. And what’s a good ghost story without a creepy finale that leaves enough questions unanswered to leave you hanging in the best way? Read it, and get used to morning showers and sleeping with the lights on. ~The Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

The Family Plot, like all well crafted ghost stories, slowly creeps up on you. Somewhere in your peripheral vision, it unsettlingly teases, dropping chilling clues. Then, in the dark, it pounces…. ~Pop Culture Beast

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest is a wonderfully atmospheric and chillingly gothic ghost story populated with well rounded characters, a particularly malevolent ghost and a house with a character all of its own. I loved this. It seriously gave me the goosebumps and, frankly (although I could be something of a wuss) scared me into not reading alone late at night … If you love a story that steadily ratchets up the tension until you’re sitting with the hairs standing up on the back of your neck then this could definitely be for you. ~The Speculative Herald

The Family Plot delivers a double helping of fun: A prospectus of auction items worthy of Southern Living is served up alongside a tale of gothic suspense woven from the familiar fabric of lost war ballads, flavored with the bitter twang of ingrown family evils and hypocritical Confederate piety. For Priest, as for her vulnerable protagonist, the more traditional the object, the more valuable it’s got to be. ~Bookpage

In The Family Plot Cherie Priest dismantles two forms of horror, Southern Gothic and the haunted house story, reducing them to their constituent parts as the heroine and her salvage crew take apart an old mansion (whose dark spell persists while its parts – furnishings, forgotten heirlooms, choice architectural details – get assessed and packed away).

Dahlia Dutton, the recently divorced thirtysomething woman whose father created Nashville-based company Music City Salvage and chose her to lead this project, calls it ‘‘disassembling.’’ In reviewer’s lingo, the novel itself might be called a work of ‘‘deconstruction,’’ but Priest brings it off without avant-garde shenanigans, through a gripping, unbroken narrative and one main viewpoint character….

…They’ve got to see this project through, since the company’s financial survival depends on what they make from it. To save their own lives and sanity, they need to learn as much as possible about the family tragedy that spawned the ghosts. Since these are modern times (even in countryside miles from Chattanooga), smartphones and web links give the team a chance. But the danger grows more acute, over the course of what proves to be a remarkable new take on old darkness – both living and dead. ~Locus

Dr. William Forstchen (https://jimbakkershow.com/video/dr-william-forstchen)

As the Senior Publicist for Tor/Forge Books, I booked the national television campaign for New York Times bestselling thriller author and history expert William Forstchen, which included several appearances on The Jim Bakker Show to discuss his highly acclaimed John Matherson series (ONE SECOND AFTER, ONE YEAR AFTER, and THE FINAL DAY).

Henry Winkler and John Carter Cash

As the Senior Publicist for the Manhattan-based book publicity agency, I developed and executed the national media campaigns for two major celebrity authors, I'VE NEVER MET AN IDIOT ON THE RIVER: Reflections on Family, Photography, and Fly-Fishing by Henry Winkler, and HOUSE OF CASH: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash, by John Carter Cash. This included creating all press material and setting up national TV/radio, print, and online media coverage, as well as booking and attending local NYC author events.

Drs. Charles and Elizabeth Schmitz (http://www.simplethingsmatter.com)

As the part-time publicity director for Get There Media, I coordinated and executed the full media campaign for authors and relationship experts, Dr. Charles and Dr. Elizabeth Schmitz. This included created press and pitch materials, booking a national satellite radio tour, and arranging print and online media for one of their acclaimed books, SIMPLE THINGS MATTER: IN LOVE AND MARRIAGE.

Lisa Katz (http://lisakatzbooks.com/)

Worked with debut children's author Lisa (Notey) Katz to market her new brand and publicize her educational kid's book, THE LITTLE BOY WHO DIDN'T SAY BLESS YOU, and the female-empowering gift book, JEAN EXPRESSIONS.